Video: Texas on fire, but no emergency declaration?

posted at 8:48 am on May 10, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Over two million acres have been burned in Texas in wildfires that stretch from “border to border.” Two firefighters have already died. The effort to get the fires under control threatens to overwhelm the state, but the Obama administration has thus far refused to declare Texas a federal disaster, a declaration that would allow more resources to flow into the state to fight the fires. How urgent is this for Texans? Rep. Francisco Canseco (R-TX) put together a video demanding action, and Governor Rick Perry tweeted it out last night with this message to his followers : “Welcome Obama to Texas. Up the pressure on denied disaster relief.”

Critics might be tempted to point out that Texans like their 10th-Amendment independence, but Texans also fork over a lot of tax revenue that funds federal disaster relief, too. With over 2.2 million acres destroyed already — which equates to over 3400 square miles, or roughly seven times the size of Los Angeles, 50 times the size of DC, and three times the land area of Rhode Island — a federal declaration of disaster seems warranted, and the real question is why Barack Obama hasn’t acted.

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You are so very welcome. Glad to know that I helped. We’re all with ya.

For my own health purposes I don’t go on lefty websites as my heart would give out and my head would explode!

Liberals are experts at hating. They expect everything for nothing and expect all of us that have worked our fingers to nubs to pay for it all.

Then when we complain and speak up against being used like old washing up sponges, they abuse us, vilify us and accuse us of all sorts of vile actions and words, when we’re just defending our lives. It doesn’t shock me, but it continues to frighten and appall me.

All the more reason to eliminate Federal Emergency Management Agency and devolve them to the states for regional compacts so the states have the resources the Feds have by taxing state residents but not providing the services they paid for.

We Texans are dismissed as rednecks, racists, ignorant, religious righties, Bushies, etc… By dismissing us with these labels, the elitists Dems devalue our humanity and therefore treat as completely irrelevant.

Did you see the hit piece by NYT recently on labeling Dallas as the most dangerous place to live? Completely bogus, but of course NYT wanted to pinpoint where Bush lives as being the most dangerous place in the U.S.

I hope the southern states send aid to Texas soon. After the fires are under control, Texas should retaliate by blocking Obiecare, overriding a federal law (or ten) or some other smackback for dinglebarry’s obviously purposefully partisan withholding of disaster assistance. Perhaps Texas could pass a law mandating that all federal income tax withholding be sent to the state instead of the feds.

While you have hit on the fact that Obama has declared major disasters for the tornadoes but not the Texas fires, they also declared as major disasters the wave surges from the tsunami in Washington, Oregon and California when the only damage was a few boats and docks.

Obama also did Major Disaster Declarations for snow storms in many states, yet the fires in Texas don’t warrant it?

Amount and type of damage (number of homes destroyed or with major damage);
Impact on the infrastructure of affected areas or critical facilities;
Imminent threats to public health and safety;
Impacts to essential government services and functions;
Unique capability of Federal government;
Dispersion or concentration of damage;
Level of insurance coverage in place for homeowners and public facilities;
Assistance available from other sources (Federal, State, local, voluntary organizations);
State and local resource commitments from previous, undeclared events; and
Frequency of disaster events over recent time period.

Seeing as how the fires in Texas have more on this checklist then the tsunami or snowstorms this is a 100% political decision by the Obama administration.

Just heard Congressman Quico Canseco on the radio. Glad he’s flogging this issue, making this video and putting out soundbites.

His huge district encompasses most of the worst affected area, although there have been fires in every part of Texas. Most of the western part, Quico’s district, hasn’t gotten any rain, though–hence the ongoing fires. As catmman said, it’ll take a tropical system, and I think hurricane season doesn’t even start until June.

Just heard that our neighbors across the highway are on fire. The wind is blowing away from our property for now.

What’s happening to all of the illegal ranch hands in those scorched areas ?? (and/or other illegal workers you KNOW have to be there)
Will they be given Fed $$$$$, since they’re only here to feed their families, and all that??

Obama’s comment about Texas always being pretty Republican is what I can only assume is reference to the racist past of the state….which the President is correct. Texas does have a racist past (along with all the other states). But he is wrong when he says Texas has always been a pretty Republican state. Since Texas became a state, the legislature was ALWAYS Republican until 2002. From 1845 – 2002, the state of Texas had a Democrat legislature. Rick Perry is only the 6th Republican governor in the state….out of 47 governors, only 6 have been Republican. And the state didn’t start voting Republican nationally until the late 70′s.

So President Obama can make all the snarky comments he wants about Texas, but he is talking about his own party.

48 million Americans without health insurance.
put out your own fires.
sesquipedalian on May 10, 2011 at 9:47 AM

And yet every one of them already gets actual health CARE if they need it. They can get free stuff galore at the local health department (from pap smears to well baby immunizations, often even dental/mental health), or emergency room, all on us taxpayers. Health INSURANCE is not a right. Buy your own and stop stealing from me and the Texans. You really are despicable.

I hope the Southern States pool together – declare Texas a disaster area and then send as much relief as possible.
Then they should all declare Obama an ASS.
HondaV65 on May 10, 2011 at 9:06 AM

I would love to see someone in state legislatures all across the South proposing a resolution officially declaring Obama an ASS. Of course, even without it, he still is one.

As to pooling together, it is a wonderful idea, and we probably will, but the problem is, Tennessee is still recovering from the floods in Nashville/Mid TN last year and now Memphis flooding, and the tornadoes in the southeastern part near Chattanooga. Parts of Arkansas and Kentucky are flooding. Half of Alabama was blown off the map a couple weeks ago, and part of Northern GA. Mississippi has had the oil spill to clean up, tornadoes, expected flooding etc… Even with the federal aid given, the Southern States don’t have a lot of spare relief to spread around. God help us if another big hurricane hits us.

I don’t like the notion of states expecting the federal government to ‘take care’ of us, but if there is going to be assistance, then it should be for all, not just those the current president ‘likes’.

The really infuriating part is that we, like Texas, still pump in a butt load of tax dollars so the federal government can pay for states like CA when they are hit with earthquakes, mud slides, fires… Or worse, they take our tax dollars and instead of using them to help the good people of Texas or return them to us for our needs, they give millions to evil like Planned Parenthood. What I want to know is when do we say enough? When do we stop funding the beast? A reckoning is surely coming. Surely… Our Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves.

Putting out our own fires is fine. All the more reason to eliminate Federal Emergency Management Agency and devolve them to the states for regional compacts so the states have the resources the Feds have by taxing state residents but not providing the services they paid for.
Dusty on May 10, 2011 at 10:02 AM

Sounds like a better idea to me.

Check out how ND, a pothole region basically, continually gets disaster relief funds for flooding, when it is a natural condition of areas like Red River Valley & Devil’s Lake.
I have much sympathy for my fellow North Dakotans over flooding.
We lost several miles of fencing year before last due to flooding.
I’m sure we could have applied for FEMA assistance, & were in fact encouraged to do so.
But we feel it was not worth the hassle.
We have already received disaster aid in the past, for the 10yr drought.
And it was a lot of trouble.
Not ever again if we can help it.
I admit when we received disaster aid for the drought, we were pretty desperate for hay. I think we got like $14,000 that year & the next like $5,000.
Hettinger co was pretty drought-stricken.
So we had to range really far just to make hay as well as buy it. The trucking it home was very expensive.
And we actually had a lot of grass compared to our neighbors bcs of our rotational system.
But let’s face it-life’s a risk.
States should probably try & get out of the FEMA game.
And here in ND, I for one am sick of hearing about flooding from people who live in a FLOOD PLAIN & from people who live in Devil’s Lake-a lake in a collapsed topography region with NO DRAINAGE.
Folks-you are living in an area where this WILL happen. And a LOT.Check out the declaration from our sitting Gov.
Wonder if the feds will approve it.

I want to win the big lotto pot so I can acquire CNN and turn it into a real news agency that:

a) recognizes the South as a legitimate part of the country
b) recognizes people in the South as actual human beings
c) doesn’t sugar coat on behalf of Democrats
d) doesn’t demonize Republicans and Tea Partiers
e) recognizes Union protests for what they are: violent, not peaceful
f) recognizes the right of individuals to defend themselves, even with guns

Ernesto, Sesquid, you aren’t that clever if you don’t understand the need for the declaration. The FEMA funds used to fight fires are not the same funds that would become available to the people who have lost their homes. And those funds are only available if a disaster is declared.

Nice to see your concern for your fellow US citizens, though. Just like all you intelligentsia, you’re quite transparent in your idiocy.

The liberals’ ridiculous 48-million number includes illegal aliens, which we should give no consideration to. The number of people that really can’t get health insurance (not simply that they think it’s too expensive!) and are legal residents is in the low millions.

If Obama won’t declare an emergency area, Perry should recall the Texas National Guard. Either we’re one nation of laws or we’re 50 states with our own self interest. Obama and Perry cannot have it both ways.

Obama expects no electoral help from Texas. Texas can expect no help of any kind from Obama.

It is corruption taken to the nth degree, wherein absolutely no opportunity to exploit your control of the wheels and levers of government to reward your friends and punish your enemies is left unused.

What the Republic of Texas should do, is to have all withholding taxes be put into a STATE bank account and at the end of the year send a check to the feds for payment commensurate to ‘services rendered’ for the state and keep the rest of the money in the state.

Governor Rick Perry tweeted it out last night with this message to his followers : “Welcome Obama to Texas. Up the pressure on denied disaster relief.”

hire some firefighters, idiot.

sesquipedalian on May 10, 2011 at 9:28

Shut up liberal idiot. Texans are taxpayers too. Federal Disaster money comes from taxes, so we have as much right to it as all the other 49 States. It’s not just the money, it’s also equipment and manpower from other States.

Others have probably mentioned that Virginia was denied a disaster declaration this past weekend for its extensive tornado damage, and New Jersey was denied one in April for its flood damage. Indiana was also denied one for the damage to 39 counties from the winter ice storms.

California, on the other hand, was awarded a federal disaster declaration for its damage from the tsunami surge in March. Not to minimize the significance of the damage or anything, but what we’re talking about here is pier infrastructure and a whole lot of leisure marine craft. In Texas, Virginia, New Jersey, and Indiana the damage involved massive residential and business losses.

Just about fell out of my chair when I read this on our local (El Paso, Texas) paper’s website this morning:

Immigration is a complex topic, but President Obama will stress two simple themes today in El Paso. One is that granting more immigrants citizenship would be good for the U.S. economy. The other is that America’s 2,000-mile Southwest border has never been safer, so the timing for immigration reform is excellent.

Obama can’t declare Texas a disaster area, he is busy solving the problem of illegal immigration, don’t you people know anything?

One is that granting more immigrants citizenship would be good for the U.S. economy. The other is that America’s 2,000-mile Southwest border has never been safer, so the timing for immigration reform is excellent.

Obama can’t declare Texas a disaster area, he is busy solving the problem of illegal immigration, don’t you people know anything?

Susanboo on May 10, 2011 at 2:28 PM

If unemployment is so high, then how can that be good? They take away the jobs that Americans could be doing, & actually,a lot want to be doing.
There are more & more illegals here in ND, doing jobs Americans could be doing.
But of course, if you can make more, or the same, or even a little less moeny by sitting on your a$$ collecting ‘free’ benefits, then why bother getting a job?
So just bring in illegals!
And as far as safety, what a crock of crap!

Regarding slow or inadequate federal responses to emergencies, whether in Louisiana, the Gulf, Texas, or any other place: It seems the Americans now must go to their “federal” government, again and again, for money to serve local purposes, because they have spent so many decades destroying their federal orders. They elected “federal” rulers willing to take their money for non-federal purposes, find their money to be taken as expected, and find they cannot always get it back merely by asking or even demanding. From all these circumstances, they may learn that men are sometimes more obligated by favors granted than by favors received. The new understanding may or may not prove to be of practical value to them now, for there are mistakes one can only make once.

This a**hole living in the WH denies Texas a disaster declaration while the state burns yet he flies to the this state to get some money for his re-election. I can’t figure out what is more disgusting, him coming to our state to raise money, or people in our state actually giving him money?
Any real Texan knows better. It’s the transplanted liberals from the west coast and the illegals getting everything free who support him.
I just him to fall into that alligator filled moat.